“[Dog: Does lingzhi grow in your heaven? What a waste on you.]”
“[Good news: your dog isn't dead, but he didn't go to heaven either. Eighty percent chance he's attained spirit wisdom and become a demon.]”
“[Wait, wasn't there huge news a while back that you guys missed? A Demon King appeared in Qingmeng Mountain, and the authorities are already preparing to act.]”
“[Is that even lingzhi? Lingzhi that red is scripted at first glance.]”
“[Whatever, I could say a great demon of Qingmeng Mountain underwent tribulation and has now ascended to immortality!]”
“[It's probably a real demon. Immortals already exist, so what's so strange about a golden retriever becoming a demon? That panda in Jingbei started speaking human words recently.]”
“[Your fur baby turned into a demon and ran away on his own because he was scared you wouldn't want him anymore. If you truly want him back, thoroughly clean your house, put away his toys, fill up the dog food, and wait. That's how my cat came back.]”
“[Yeah, yeah, yeah! Back then, I suspected my turtle had become a spirit, and it ran away the very next day. It only came home after my mom went outside and called out, ‘Come back! Even if you’ve become a spirit, we’re still willing to raise you!’]”
“[Heavens, why is that kind of touching?]”
“[Huaxia is about to see the rise of a Demon King.]”
“[I don't know about anything else, but the old cat that ran away years ago just came back to my house.]”
“[Is that true? Are they really demons? I'm kind of scared...]”
“[Anyway, if my cat turned into a demon, I definitely wouldn't dare keep it. I'd throw it out immediately.]”
“[Then if it were your child, would you just casually throw them away like that? Have you no heart?]”
“[No, they're demons! Those are demons! Aren't you afraid? Do you really think demons don't eat people?]”
“[Isn't it just like wolves? Wild wolves eat people, but ones domesticated from childhood don't. Besides, if this golden retriever really became a demon, didn't the blogger already post about it?]”
“[Wahoo! If it were me, I'd start a livestream of a demon's daily life and try to collect all the fragments for a Cullinan as soon as possible!]”
Comments were fierce, and people argued endlessly.
They were divided into two main camps: one believed that demons and humans were equal, and since humans and demons could coexist peacefully, they should just let nature take its course.
The other camp believed that those not of their kind were bound to harbor different intentions. They argued that even if animals gained intelligence, they were still animals and would eventually usurp humanity's position at the top of the food chain.
Therefore, they insisted the authorities should carry out large-scale culls of demons that attained spirit wisdom.
While the online debate raged on, the authorities finally made a move.
First, radiating outward from the southwest region, local governments issued numerous friendly advisories, expediting the release of urban stray animal controls and detailed regulations on keeping cats and dogs.
Official spokespersons urgently appealed to citizens to reduce outdoor exploration and fishing activities. Patrols were stepped up in restricted areas like desolate mountains, untamed wilderness, and dense forbidden forests, and unauthorized crossings were strictly prohibited.
At the same time, authorities intensified crackdowns on poaching, enhanced wildlife protection measures, bolstered legislative protections, and urged humans to avoid conflicts with wild animals as much as possible.
—Even before this, multiple incidents of animals injuring people had actually occurred, but none had received much attention.
Dense forests, wilderness, deserts, and the Gobi—hazardous lands that humanity had gradually conquered—seemed to become fraught with peril once more overnight.
The conflict between humans and nature had always been an inescapable topic.
The emergence of demons filled humanity with deep dread.
Yet no one noticed that along the streets, planted evergreen pines, cypresses, locust trees, and poplars grew increasingly lush and emerald green over time, brimming with boundless vitality.
In roadside flowerbeds, bougainvillea blossoms swayed in the wind.
Many unfamiliar, unknown plants also sprouted from beneath the earth.
Strange mushrooms and spore-bearing plants began growing in green belts, and the flowers in decorative flowerbeds over the past two years had grown increasingly vivid and enchanting.
Yet hardly anyone paid any heed.
They simply grew in wall corners, cracks in the asphalt, crevices in concrete pavement, rooftop gardens, and roadside green belts...
They could be found everywhere, even inside residential homes, government flowerbeds, and office desks.
Or rather, these changes unfolded imperceptibly and silently, much like a frog boiled in warm water—for a time, no one realized what was happening.
Yet change would not halt simply because it went unobserved.
The tree seeks tranquility, but the wind refuses to cease.
...
The Demon Core Tasting Assembly had yielded plentiful rewards.
“Still no news from the Huang and Hui families?”
The humanoid white tiger sat lazily upon a stone chair, her massive tiger paws idly twirling the fluttering Ten Thousand Demon Banner (Yin Spirit Banner).
“I am rather curious. Several days have passed since the Demon Core Tasting Assembly, and quite a few demon tribes have come to pay their respects and recognize my position as the Demon King of Qingmeng Mountain.
“Yet only these two families have shown no reaction whatsoever—it seems they are dissatisfied with my self-proclaimed title of Demon King.”
Nan Zhi’s tone was calm, devoid of any great fluctuation, yet every little demon standing below could discern the displeasure in her words.
—Of the ten little vanguards, excluding Xiangyao of the elephant clan, Menglan of the bear clan, and the old turtle of the aquatic clan, the remaining seven demons were gathered together in the hall.
“Hiss, hiss, hiss...”
A python hissed, flicking its tongue and raising its head before spitting out a well-featured, beautiful woman's head from its mouth:
“A new Demon King has risen, and the hearts of all demons under heaven submit to you. From the snowy plains of the north to Siam in the south, traversing east and west, demon clans great and small have sent word, willing to honor my Master as King.
“Only the Huang and Hui families are utterly detestable and abominable! If you ask me, let me swallow a few weasel pups and rat pups to properly teach them the Great King’s might!”
—Speaking of this python woman, she had originally been a collateral junior sent by the Liu family, one of the Five Families of the Northeast, merely to make up the numbers.
Who could have foreseen that the Mountain Lord would be so lavish? The python woman had also performed well, seizing a seat, receiving a portion of the demon core, and experiencing a dramatic surge in cultivation—not to mention submitting herself to the Demon King's banner.
The Liu family had originally intended to just take a shot in the dark, but upon receiving the news, their intestines nearly turned green with regret.
A minor, insignificant little python had merely visited Qingmeng Mountain and actually attained a first-revolution demon core, matching the cultivation of the old ancestors back home!
What a loss—it was an absolute catastrophe of a loss!
Yet the Liu family was also slick. They joyfully recognized the python woman and renamed her “Liu Qinglong” in accordance with the generational naming conventions.
Liu Qinglong had not fallen out with the Liu family, but among the Five Families of the Northeast, there were more or less grievances between one another.
For example, the feud between the Liu family and the Huang and Hui families, the feud between the Hu family and the Huang family, and the feud between the Bai family and the Hui family.
Therefore, hearing Liu Qinglong speak like this, the yellow ape, golden falcon, wild boar, and golden retriever down below all turned their gazes toward the reactions of Hu Ban'er and the Bai family hedgehog.
This large hedgehog was Bai Sangu, the current head of the Bai family. She possessed remarkable medical skills, and her hobby was turning into an old woman to stand by the roadside and stage hit-and-runs against people of destiny.
Hearing Liu Qinglong's words, the large hedgehog sluggishly shifted her paws and coughed softly:
“The Huang and Hui families have indeed grown somewhat insolent.”
When the Mountain Lord held the Demon Core Tasting Assembly earlier, it was fine if you didn't attend.
Now that a new Demon King had been crowned, failing to send even a single message of congratulations was a blatant refusal to recognize this “Demon King.”
Even though they all belonged to the Five Families, she had never seen anyone court death quite like this.
Even when a new official took office, they ignited three fires of reform. Now that the Mountain Lord had just ascended to the throne of Demon King, could anyone guess whether Her Eminence would choose a few troublemakers to make an example of and establish her authority?
Her Bai family was relatively weak, relying on diplomacy and pleasing all sides to survive up to this day. Naturally, she wouldn't plead on behalf of the Huang and Hui families and ruin the goodwill she had built in the Mountain Lord's heart.
Nan Zhi harbored the exact same intention.
—Demons were different from humans.
Humans could be persuaded by reason or tempted by profit, but demons were far simpler and more brutish.
Whoever had the bigger fists was the strong one, holding the right to distribute cultivation resources.
With the Demon Lord of Qingmeng Mountain newly established, countless eyes were watching her.
If she wanted this position of Demon King to be worthy of the name and sit securely upon her throne, displaying benefits was not enough; she had to properly flex her muscles.
“I know little of the Huang and Hui families. Who will explain them to me in detail?”
Nan Zhi propped her chin on one hand, the long tail pressed behind her swaying gently.
“Speak well, and there will be a reward.”
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